Exodus 21-23

If you thought the ten commandments were an outstanding set of guidelines for living a moral, upstanding life, you are in for a real treat as we continue with Exodus. Law after glorious law.

• Hebrew slaves are to be freed after six years of service. If a slave brought his family along when he was bought, he can take them when he leaves. If he married one of his master's slaves, he's out of luck. If your slave asks to stay, have him stand against a door and slam an awl through his ear. Once you pierce his ear, he can be a slave forever. How lucky for him.
• If you sell your daughter and her new owner is not satisfied with his purchase, he can sell her but NOT to a foreigner. Well that's just common sense.
• If you kill someone, the penalty is death. If you didn't intend for them to die, God will find you a hiding place
• If you attack your parents, the penalty is death.
• If you curse your parents, the penalty is death.
• If you kidnap someone, the penalty is death.
• If you beat a slave to death, you'll be punished (but not put to death. I mean, it's not like you cursed your parents or something serious). If the slave lives for a couple days after you beat him, there's no punishment "for he is (your) money."
• If you punch a pregnant woman but she doesn't suffer serious injury, you'll pay a fine. If the woman is injured or miscarries, the punishment must match the injury (familiar phrase alert): eye for eye, tooth for tooth.
• If you punch your slave in the face and destroy his or her eye, you must let them go free.
• If you punch your slave in the face and knock out his or her tooth, you must let them go free.
• There's quite a list of livestock laws. Here's the first one, just to give you the idea: If your ox gores someone to death, you must stone it to death but don't eat its meat. If you've been warned about this particular ox, you get stoned to death unless you can afford a fine.
• If you catch someone breaking into your house, you can kill them without penalty unless it's daylight. Stating the obvious here.
• "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Boy, this one caused some problems.
• If you have sex with an animal, the penalty is death.
• It's odd to read something sensible in this list, but there are a few good points. Do not help a guilty party by being a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. Do not execute an innocent or honest person. Do not accept bribes.
• If you offer a sacrifice to any other god, you will be "utterly destroyed." Sigh. Seriously?

God announces he will send an angel to Canaan ahead of the Hebrews. He will send his fear upon them and destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come. He will also send hornets to drive the people out. But not all at once. God wants to ensure the land and livestock are properly maintained in advance of the Israelites' arrival. These folks who've been minding their own business in Canaan for hundreds of years are in for a surprise.